Felton offered sentence on gun rap without jail time

NEW YORK — Knicks point guard Raymond Felton is expected to plead guilty to a felony in his gun possession case in exchange for a no-jail sentence, prosecutors said Monday.

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Knicks point guard Raymond Felton is expected to plead guilty to a felony in his gun possession case in exchange for a no-jail sentence, prosecutors said Monday.

Felton was in court as the Manhattan district attorney's office outlined the agreement, which would resolve a gun case that arose amid the breakup of his marriage.

He's expected to admit at a future court date to at least one charge, attempted criminal possession of a weapon, and get a $5,000 fine and 500 hours of community service.

"I want to thank the DA for being fair to me in this whole situation," Felton said outside court, also thanking his family, friends and fans "for supporting me and understanding who, the person, I am."

His lawyer, Jim Walden, said the plea would allow Felton to "continue his career without interruption."

The DA's office had no immediate comment on the agreement. The plea date is to be set at a June 30 court session.

Felton was arrested in February, turning himself in shortly after a Dallas Mavericks-Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. Authorities said his estranged wife's lawyer had brought a loaded semi-automatic handgun to a police precinct, saying it was Felton's and she wanted it out of their house. His wife, law student Ariane Raymondo-Felton, had filed for divorce the week before.

Her lawyer didn't immediately respond to an inquiry about Felton's planned plea.

Felton was charged with offenses including a weapon-possession count that carries the potential for up to seven years in prison; it outlaws large-capacity ammunition magazines, under some circumstances. The gun in Felton's case had a magazine that could hold about 20 rounds, prosecutors said.

His lawyer said Felton never threatened anyone with the gun.

The NBA has said it's monitoring the case. The league usually waits until criminal cases against players are resolved before deciding whether to impose any fine or suspension.

Felton averaged a career-low 9.7 points last season as the Knicks went 37-45 and missed the playoffs. The point guard missed 17 games while battling injuries, and team president Phil Jackson recently denied a report that he had told Felton he planned to try to trade him this summer.

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